Where Has Your Baby Fallen Asleep?
Is there anything cuter than babies actually sleeping like babies? From helicopters to grocery carts, eight Cup of Jo readers share the surprising/funny/adorable places their babies have fallen asleep…
Above: “On a rafting trip in Oregon, my four-year-old fell asleep while floating down the Deschutes River to our next campsite. You wouldn’t know it from the photo, but just 15 minutes before she’d been squealing with joy.” — Nicole
“When our son Jack was four months old, he fell asleep on the changing pad. He was awake when I lay him down, so it was hilarious to witness him fall asleep so quickly!” — Aveena Mathew
“We moved into a new house when our son Otis was one and a half, and he fell asleep while we were getting settled. We’d unpacked exactly two things for him: his dinner bench and his books — everything else was chaos in boxes. Now Otis has a little brother, too. My kids are not great sleepers, but they are great people. I stand by that trade.” — Chloe Hall
“I spent too much of my eldest’s first year (years?) stressed about naps and trying to manage her sleep, so when we flew to India to visit my sister-in-law’s extended family I was nervous about the flight and jet lag. But, for a baby who treated sleep as optional that entire first year, my daughter napped on all the sightseeing tours. I wish I’d taken that lesson home with me!” — Melina Gac Levin
“Our son Frank once fell asleep on my lap while watching a parade! My favorite part about wheelchair naps with the LapBaby carrier is that, even though I couldn’t see his face, I always knew when Frank was sleeping because of how his body felt. Both my kids adore sitting on my chair with me and ask to climb on when they are sad or scared.” — Jessica Slice
“My son went through a phase where he would fall asleep everywhere, even snow tubing!” — Kali
“All four of my babies could — and would — fall asleep at meal time (usually dinner) in this IKEA high chair.” — Kaitlan
“My son, Henry, can sleep anywhere! He’s slept through a helicopter ride over volcanoes, kayaking excursions in the Puget Sound, and more meals and shopping trips than I can count. We credit Mariners baseball games for making him flexible. To keep us humble, our second child never falls asleep anywhere but her bed.” — Katherine
Where is the greatest place your baby ever fell asleep? Please share below…
P.S. Sleeping outside in Denmark, and what’s your child’s bedtime routine? (This made me laugh.)
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91 commentsWhen my daughter was one, we attended a friend’s wedding and I nursed her to sleep to the sound of bagpipes!
My son used to have a mobile above his crib that played an instrumental version of “it’s a small world.” Lo and behold, on his first trip to Disney world, he fell asleep instantly on the “it’s a small world” ride. We were delighted when we made the connection to the mobile.
Hahaa these are great. My son fell asleep in the Gulf of Mexico once / wouldn’t that be a dream!? You know you’re safe, the waves are gently rocking you. He also once fell asleep on the library floor – we turned our backs for one minute and he was out! Granted, he was jet lagged and it was hilarious.
We were on the other side of the coin with my kiddo–she literally would only sleep while being held until she was 7 or 8 months old. We tried all kinds of things, and we tried sticking it out with a few of them. But the bub wanted to be held, and that was that. Now she’s 10 and still loves nothing more than being cuddled. I realized that’s just who she is! She came to this planet as a mega-snuggler. And that’s one of the coolest parts of raising a kid–you get to see that sometimes we arrive here with certain traits and it’s just part of who we are.
I love all these adorable stories! My oldest boy has always been a champion at sleeping on the go. I have so many photos of him sleeping on trains, in the pram on city streets, once in my lap at a rock concert (at was 11am, a morning show for adults to bring their kids to). He was such a cuddly little person and so ready for a snuggle and a nap until he was as well into his fourth year. Now he’s bigger and not napping anymore, I treasure those memories!
My second fell asleep in the middle of eating an ear of corn (he was just a week or so past one). He did not wake up, but a few seconds in, he resumed eating, with slowly ebbing diligence, until he was horizontal to the tray, and the corn, a (still clutched) husk.
I wish there were reaction buttons on the comments section. LOVE so many of these adorable stories. Mine are grown now but one of my all time favorite photos is when my son was about 2.We were on vacation in a rented condo (a work trip for me) and he and his older brother had been playing in the water all day. The boys were going to watch a movie with my work friends’ kids that evening so we had treats ready for them on the coffee table. We were all getting ready for dinner and I came into the main room to find that he fell asleep sprawled out on the FLOOR with his hand in a fun-size bag of M&Ms.
Oh how I wish my baby just fell asleep anytime / anywhere and it didn´t take the effort it does to get him to ´doze off´!! 14months in and we had one (MAGICAL) full night of sleep.. we will sleep one day, right?
Oh Ula you will! My first was a magical sleeper (not through the night until about 15 months, but he would doze off all over the place) but my second has been much harder to get settled. We did exactly the same things with both, so I can assure you it’s not you, it’s just how they are. Your baby will sleep, I promise! With you in the tired phase, my second is 16 months and still waking in the night…yawn!
Our second was a Pisces born in the water at home and we joked that it fully manifested on a holiday in Greece when he was 14 months old. Every time we got in the pool with him, he fell asleep. So many sweet pictures from that week with him being toted around the pool asleep on our shoulders or towed in an inflatable raft, sun hat tented to shade his face. Very happy memories of lovely, sunny naps.
When I only had 1 kiddo, we were walking home and he fell asleep on my shoulders with his chin on my head. I had to slowly slide home off and take a bus home instead as he was 2. We have the cutest pic of my younger one , my daughter when she fell asleep on her potty. Some things are just tiring!
Babies sleep???!
Hahahahaha thank you for that Isabella! My son is also not a great sleeper (but a great person), so I am absolutely shocked at these images and happy for the parents
When our son was two, I caught the flu. I was terribly sick so my husband took the day off from work to be with our son. He took him on a bike ride and he fell asleep right in the middle of a LOUD parade for the Golden State Warriors who had just won the championship that year. I wish I could post a picture. Hilarious. So much noise but he slept right through it.
Back in 2019, our two year old fell asleep in my arms while we were riding on a Wave Runner behind his dad on the lake. We stopped at the marina to refill the gas tank, and he slept right through it, even when I laid him down on the dock so I could go use the restroom. Not much has changed since then. 😆
My son climbed out of his crib early (17 mo), and there was no keeping him in, so we moved him to a toddler bed he also wouldn’t sleep in. He regularly slept facedown on his floor with his arms and legs all flung out . On the old black and white monitor, he looked like a chalk outline. 😂
When my son was 2 he fell asleep in my lap at a fancy tempura restaurant in a Japanese hotel. The chef sent someone away and when he returned he had a bassinet that they put behind our seats so my baby could sleep and I could it. It was so amazing!
at around 1.5, our eldest fell asleep on the cat, who was asleep on his bed. our youngest has always hated hiking. around 2 years old, i would take her to our local gem (point lobos) while her brother was in preschool, thinking she would love to just run around with her mom. nope! she always insisted on getting in the baby bjorn and promptly fall asleep.
IN the shooting range at the Marine Corps museum! .. When my son was maybe 5 months old, we visited the Marine Corps museum in Virginia with my Vietnam vet FIL. FIL was still a bit uncomfortable around me nursing, and I was looking for a quiet place to sit, and the young man running the shooting range said it was empty and offered to let me sit in there. We sat on the floor for my son’s lunch and then he promptly fell asleep right after a family came in to take some practice shots!
Love this post! On a bike seat is an adorable spot.
My oldest slept through the entire tour of Pompeii on my back in a carrier. She was snoring the whole time so many people kept looking at me wondering what all the racket was! My youngest fell asleep sitting up on a canoe trip down the Amazon River in Peru! Very grateful for these amazing sleepers, but man they missed some good times.
my second one was a fussy sleeper… like took forever to get to sleep, we had to perform the craziest quiet parkour to exit her nursery… fast forward to her being 8, her first concert was… TAYLOR SWIFT and she was so overstimulated, excited, just DYING to be there (so was I, tbh) – she FELL ASLEEP AT 10PM in the middle of the ERAS TOUR full of 67K stadium, with all the loud music, pyrotechnics, screaming. just fell asleep. LOL. we tease her about it to this day
When I was around 38 I fell asleep standing at a loud concert in a big arena. Some people never change ;)
When my son was 2.5, he fell asleep mid-chew during my cousin’s wedding reception. It was an outdoor reception at a compound in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The kids had so much fun running around and playing. He was sitting on my lap eating and then was just fast asleep. I couldn’t wake him up. I put him down for a mid-reception nap in one of my cousin’s cabins. That was such a fun wedding!
If I’m talking about my children, one great sleeper and one never sleeper. The real sleep winner in our family is my husband. He falls asleep anywhere and everywhere. At bars, movies, picnics, and holiday parties. My oldest daughter’s contact photo of her dad is him sleeping at a punk rock show. I dare anyone to think of a place where this guy can’t find some shut-eye. Friends and family snap photos of him mid-nap, and his best friend collects them for calendars. 20 years ago, he fell asleep while seated next to Patrick Stewart at “The Magic Flute”. Sadly, no photo of that nap!
There’s nothing like a baseball nap! My son has fallen asleep at many Mariners games as well. and a seahawks game once, and those are LOUD.
I love a baseball nap at home . . . with the windows/door open, it’s always one of my favorite signs of spring.
In an Ikea shopping cart, making good use of the pillows we had chosen, in a bicycle seat while bumping along a dirt track and very memorably in churches during both my father’s funeral and my cousin’s wedding.
This is very ironic as currently reading this in a darkened closet fighting a 2.5 year old who doesn’t think 8pm is an appropriate bedtime….
My then two year-old son fell aspleep in a historical railway wagon – not only it was loud on it’s own, there was also a jazz band playing life next to him. None of those was an obstacle. Nap time is nap time.
Last year I quit teaching and while I don’t miss the ridiculous work load I will always miss seeing 5year olds fall asleep in the middle of learning because life is exhausting!
My son fell asleep during my Masters degree commencement! My mom got a cute picture of him sitting comfortably, with his head rolled back! I’m jealous of babies ability to fall asleep so quickly…I once witnessed one it’s mam’s arms, stretch, yawn…then conk out in the midst of a busy room!
So cute and funny. My 4 years old cannot resist a subway or tram ride. We get in, she seats on my lap or not and within 2 stops, she is out. No matter what train, time of day or location. It is quite impressive actually.
My now 21 year old has always been a great sleeper, even as a newborn. Ten places that tickled me were always outdoors: At age 8 months in the backpack as we snowshoed up a mountain, at 3 in the kayak in his little life jacket, at age 7 in our backyard hammock, in a pile of his books. Fresh air naps!
My son used to fall asleep in my arms as soon as the worship music started playing at church no matter how loud. The strangest place might be in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland. He (at 2) was not happy about being in the water and handled it by falling asleep in his Dad’s arms.
Piggy back ride: https://www.instagram.com/p/B81Me2xgbh-/?img_index=1 I’ve never seen anything cuter nor more ridiculous.
My grandma loves telling me the story of how when I was 1 year old, I was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder and was hospitalized for 6 months. They had to tie me down to the bed because I hadn’t learned to walk yet and didn’t want me to fall out of bed. When I finally left the hospital at 1.6 years, I spent my first few days with my grandma because my mom was at the hospital delivering my baby brother. I was so excited to run around and play, that I fell asleep standing up on the toy box at my grandma’s house. I chuckle at this story as now I have my own daughter who is a terrible sleeper.
My youngest used to have an off switch for sleep for the midday nap and it didn’t matter where you were he would fall asleep like clockwork at 11:30. So many lunches in his high chair chewing food while drifting off its a miracle he never choked. So many car rides with his sister trying (and failing) to keep him awake so we could make it home for a proper nap. He’s now 7 and still hits the bed hard at the end of the day.
I’m currently on “vacation” with my three year old and 7 month old and wishing desperately they would sleep on the go. Both of them have a hard time sleeping unless it is in the crib or toddler’s bed. We were at the zoo for many hours yesterday and my baby slept for maybe thirty minutes in her carrier. I feel like we have spent a lot of money to have a lousy time. I understand that many people have a great time on family trips and value the experiences highly. I have thought many times that I just wish I was home and not out thousands of dollars.
Rae, I feel you. I unilaterally decided we would not travel with our very hard to nap or sleep kid till she’s four or five, no trip is worth it at this point if it disrupts her and our sleep! Hugs and hopes for sleep for you all soon!
At your family’s stage, these are called a “trips,” not vacations! I’ve also heard it called “destination parenting.” It gets better as the kids get older, but your heartbreak now is real, you are not alone, and I’m sorry for the disappointment.
My second two kids were like this. They were so rigid in their routines— it would frustrate me so much, and then I’d feel like a jerk for getting frustrated. We have dialed back travel a lot as a result, and everyone is happier.
Rae, I felt the same way for the first 4-5 years of my twins’ life. We would take a yearly trip to Florida and I would just grit through it. Once they hit 5 though it was a lot better. I’m currently in Spain (a 6 hour time difference) with my 8 year olds and I’ve marveled more than once about how flexible they’ve been through it all. Hang in there, you’ll travel happily again one day!
Ah, at those ages it’s a “trip” and not a “vacation.” Pro tip: get a hotel room with a balcony or courtyard, so once you put them down for a nap (or early AF bedtime) in that darkened room, you can enjoy a glass of wine/book/fresh air/the sound of silence just outside, within earshot.
My 3rd child refused naps in his crib from a young age, but he definitely needed them still. So he’d usually fall asleep wherever he was playing. However, a couple of times led to panic when we couldn’t find him – once he was behind the couch (in a very narrow space between the couch and the wall) and another time, he was found on the floor of our storage room (concrete floor with carpet tiles). My kids have also been known to fall asleep on boats, while being pulled in a sled, or pushed in an umbrella stroller over snowy trails. Though as a teenager, I once fell asleep on a folding table at EWR when our family’s flight was cancelled (while my parents were figuring out new tickets) so I certainly can’t judge! haha
When I had my first baby, in the very early days, I remember waking up one day. This was unusual because he was so fussy. I was still laying in the same position as when I’d woken up. With a start I realized if I couldn’t hear the baby, where was the baby? What kind of mother wakes up leisurely three weeks after giving birth and loses her baby? These thoughts hit me faster than I can express but it was in less than second. “WHERE’S THE BABY!!??” Reader, he started crying just then. He’d been asleep on my chest, in my arms.
not my own baby, but on a trip to italy 10+ years ago my baby nephew kept falling asleep at all our tourist spots so i started a photo series of him passed out in front of a famous spot. #oliverisover the pantheon/the colosseum/the sistine chapel/the vatican etc. He was so dead asleep in his stroller in the packed sistine chapel that a group of us carried him over our heads like it was some sort of princely procession.
These are great! My son fell asleep with his arms folded like a pillow on top of the piano keys—so sweet: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVHek6fANhCdXODQvENg7TyRMXhup5F6I5XUNo0/?igsh=Z25xaHk2dGx6ejBz
My kiddo was obsessed in going out in the kayak at a cottage one summer when he was 2 years old but he refuse to sit on someone’s lap. He wanted the seat to himself in the front of the double kayak. I wasn’t sure how much to trust him to stay sitting but he did great and we were able to go for longer and longer trips. One day he fell asleep sitting up in the kayak but never let go of his paddle the whole time he was asleep!
My first child was colicky 24-7 for the first three (long) months of his life and getting him to stop shrieking so he could fall asleep was a battle. We had tried everything, nothing worked, we were exhausted. Then a friend brought over her old battery-run swinging cradle. It was loud and horribly squeaky but it worked! He fell asleep in 2 minutes every night. When we finally gave it back to my friend, I found I missed the noise and couldn’t get to sleep for a week.
Oh wait! Last month, my youngest fell asleep while getting his haircut!
Haha this is very timely as just yesterday my three and a half year old fell asleep on the (hard and cold) floor in the hall at 5.30pm, having just had a tantrum about not wanting any dinner. He’s also fallen asleep on the buggy board of the pram/stroller, with his head resting on the seat in front.
Yesterday, my youngest (3 y.o) climbed up to his brother’s top bunk and took a nap. I think it was for 20 minutes but it was just heavenly. A few times, he’s fallen asleep at the table or on the floor.
Our daughter was 7 years old when one night she climbed up on her windowsill and fell asleep there, tucked behind the curtains. When I went in to check on her I had a moment of panic when she wasn’t in her bed, on the floor or even in her cupboard, quickly tempered by the fact that I could hear her breathing! When I finally discovered her, my husband and I were laughing so hard we could barely lift her back down into her bed. Every night we tuck her in to bed and every now and again she’ll choose to sleep in a bizarre places in her room. Makes my heart glow to go in and find her curled under her desk or snuggled under the bed instead of in it!
Middle child once fell asleep in the middle of a haircut (after screaming for a while). At around 18 months, youngest child fell asleep on the floor of a plane (after screaming for a LONG while) and no one was willing to move her until we were about to land. Yes, I know that is not safe! The same child at age 4 also fell asleep in my arms during the long line for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World. She was sick and I knew she needed the sleep, so I let her stay for the entire 45-minute wait. My arms just about fell off by the end!
My daughter fell asleep on the nose of our stand-up paddleboard when she was 2. I paddled the board in, covered her with a towel so she didn’t get a sunburn and let her keep sleeping pulled up on the shore. I wish I could add a photo!
My kids have fallen asleep in a baby swing at the park, in my lap at a restaurant, in the hammock in the back yard. I absolutely loved cuddling them during naps…sweetest memories. I used to fall asleep swaddled up in a life jacket underneath the bow of the boat when I was a baby :)
jealous of these parents! mercifully, my son is now nine so can at least self-manage his insane ability to basically not sleep, and at least he spends his vampiric schedule reading, I guess…?
Best comment ever! I chortled reading it. Thank you for this.
Was never fortunate enough to have kids of my own. But I took my nieces to a local water park. We were in a long line for the waterslide. You have to climb the tall round steps to the top. We had been there for quite some time, and I knew our time was coming to an end. My younger niece was 2, and they let them ride on your lap. She thought standing in line climbing the steps was great. After 10 minutes on the steps, and halfway up, there is a tap on my shoulder. I turn around, and the lady points to the ground. My niece was passed out on the step, with her body turned and arms hanging off the sides of the railing. Head resting on said railing. This was a problem, because I was carrying the intertube. Her sister was only 5, so she could not carry it up/down. The 5 year old did NOT want to leave. So the nice lady behind me carried our tube up, while my niece napped away. After about a 15 minute power nap, I had to wake her up to go down the slide. She was ready to rally after her power nap, but the 5 year old had a meltdown shortly thereafter, and we had to go home.
Here for the cute baby photos! My now three year old was a Velcro/FOMO/tough sleep customer as a baby which caused my husband and I to create (and stick with) a rigid nap/sleep routine for him. Last year, we finally took a short vacation and paid extra for a home with a second bedroom, bought a special cot/blanket/canopy, brought the Hatch, lovies, books…all to make sure we maintained his routine so he would sleep (so we could sleep). Yeah, when I opened the door to his room after the first night he was nowhere to be seen. I finally found him wedged under the double bed in the room.
As my eldest was being born, her heart rate suddenly dropped quite dramatically and sent the doctors into a panic. A resuscitation team, a NICU team, were all frantically being assembled until my OB yelled out “wait! I think this baby is just having a big nap!” Yep, my kiddo decided to fall asleep, into a deep sleep, as I was pushing her out of my body. She’s nearly 13 and continues to be an excellent sleeper. (Her younger sister? We did a residential baby sleep school program and she “failed.” Twice.)
My son, now 9, used to fall asleep eating. We have photos of him dozing off while eating a burrito, ice cream, and more. Still cracks me up.
Similar to the first picture, when my older daughter was about two she fell asleep in a kayak. She was riding in her dad’s lap and I guess the soothing motion of the water just did her in. It was funny because we lived near a lake at the time, and could often see kayakers from our apartment, so getting to go in! a! boat! was supposed to be this big exciting thing, but, toddler.
Ahhh I love this post!!!
That dog is already to get Kaitlyn’s kid’s leftover. Love it.
We’ve been super lucky with our 4.5 month old, who is a pretty great sleeper at night. He’s not big on naps, though, especially when we’re out and about, as he wants to take everything in. I recently took a chance and booked dinner at a restaurant for Valentine’s Day knowing we’d have him with us and probably have to spend most of the meal focused on him. Somehow the stars aligned and he snoozed through the whole thing! It was so amazing, and so needed, to have that time to focus on each other and to feel a little bit of romance.
My 2 at the time daughter was so hot in the rainforest in Panama that she fell asleep and I carried her sweaty little body in my arms while wearing high heeled sandals (wtf was that fashion choice) on a jungle walking tour for an hour. And then the next day tested positive for Covid for the first time ever!
I wondered what the sound was coming from the bathroom & our newly potty training kid had fallen asleep on the regular adult sized toilet. He was just bent in half, legs dangling, snoring away. Of course I took a picture. Another time we were on a horseback riding trail ride where he was sitting in front of me & I realized that the weight was getting a little heavier on my left arm. It was a hot day & that slow consistent gait from the horse put him right to sleep. My arm was KILLING me by the time we got back.
No cute sleep stories for my babies, but when I was in college I used to fall asleep in my friends’ dorms rooms so often that I got the nickname “Narcolexie” :)
I did that too! I would sit down to watch a movie with them and fall asleep in the opening credits. Once I came back to my own dorm room and fell asleep in the entryway still wearing my heavy wool coat and full backpack.
❤️
I fell asleep once while getting my eyebrows waxed
We took my now 10 yo to Hawaii when he was 9 months old. My husband took him out swimming in the hotel lagoon, baby on his back, and when they came back, the baby was fast asleep. He’s still a good sleeper/napper, even now. (He had to be, because my other two were/are terrible.)
I initially read the title as “where has your body fallen asleep” and I was fully prepared to tell y’all about the time I fell asleep getting a root canal.
My brother fell asleep getting a tattoo! The artist was concerned. I was not. My job as a child was to keep him awake on car rides. I frequently failed.
Relatedly, I’m happy to tell you about places I’ve fallen asleep when I had a baby!” hahaha! (One is in the dentist chair!)
I fell asleep in an MRI machine getting my shoulder imaged as a 19 year old, over 20 years ago. It was so loud, it should have been impossible to sleep — but it was like white noise. I was a college swimmer who was partying the night before. The tech kept yelling at me because I would twitch as I fell asleep. The resulting images were blurry.
I’d like to read this post!
I was going to say something similar! My kids did their fair share of falling asleep in funny places (my oldest, a legendarily terrible sleeper somehow slept through 4th of July fireworks at a Rockies game while also wearing huge baby noise cancelling headphones somehow?!?) but mostly I want to tell ya’ll how I once fell asleep on a bunk bed ladder my freshman year of college! I used to sit on the second-highest rung and lean into my bed, using it as a surface to prop up my elbows and read. Once I fell asleep like that while reading and my roommate found me hours later, much to her delight. The kink in my butt was unreal. Couldn’t walk for what felt like hours. We still laugh about the photos to this day!
That’s amazing!
I regularly fall asleep getting tattooed! My artist says it’s not uncommon for women, but she’s never seen a man do it. Bodies are wild!
My husband is an opera singer and I took our son to a dress rehearsal at 2 months old. He slept through the whole thing!
I have a series of photos from when my middle son was about 3 that I have entitled “I not need a nap” – mostly its just him curled up sound asleep on the floor in various rooms of our house.
My almost three-year-old son also really adamantly refuses naps and so often we give up and let him be, only to find him asleep on the hardwood floor just outside his bedroom door….?!?! like, buddy, your bed is five feet away!
When my youngest was 18 months we went to Maui. He and his older siblings didn’t want to get out of the pool at nap time, so every afternoon I would just plop him down on a raft and he slept while we floated around the lazy river for hours. If he had been the first kid that never would have worked but as the throes he was perfectly capable of sleeping in a pool full of loud swimming children!
My son fell asleep many times from just a few months old to about 2 years old, with his head being supported in his dadas hands while in the BATH getting his hair washed <3 I wish I could attach a picture to this comment!
With her head on a table in Moynihan train hall’s food court! I was catching up with a friend before catching a train and it actually worked out great to really be able to connect and catch up without simultaneously entertaining a toddler.
I would like a pets sleep anywhere spinoff on this. Our dog who alerts us at the tiniest sounds outside our house sleeps through any loud action movie sequence if he is lounging on our son or his dads lap.
My sweet squishy babies turn THIRTEEN ON FRIDAY! HOW?! We love a golf cart rental on vacation and for many years this would lull my daughter right to sleep, her twin brother is a pro at bleacher napping during gymnastics meets!
Oh more baby pics please! My son is 12 and really I cannot remember him being a baby. He is still my baby with long hair and a love for metal music, contemporary dance and mangas. He is so cool. Love from Paris